Love in Nature

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Laurie Buchanan

My friend, Shirley Showalter, has a blog whose posts I never miss. Recently she asked, “What do you do when the world seems wrong, and you are sad, lonely, confused, or anxious?”

I responded, “When I’m in a place of discouragement and overwhelm, I submerge myself in nature. In my experience, the two things that people yearn for the most are: (1) to love, (2) to be loved. It’s in nature that I find reassurance for both of these needs.”

Shirley replied, “I would love to read about how love reaches you in nature. It’s easier to feel one’s own love going out, I think, than universal love flowing in. Do you agree? Maybe you will answer this question in a future post!”

Hence, this post was born.

I realize that everyone’s experience is different, and people embrace many different beliefs. This post just happens to be about how nature informs me of love.

Nature has taught me a lot about faith, it helps me to draw near to what many people refer to as God, and others call Goddess, Yahweh, Jehovah, Jesus, Moses, Allah, Krishna, Light, Mohammed, Supreme Being, Buddha, All That Is, Source Energy, Shiva, Universe, Higher Self, Creator, Brahman, Spirit, Mother Earth, Father Sky, the list goes on.

It’s my experience that the name we use isn’t as important as our relationship and interaction.

How does love reach me in nature? When I contemplate earth’s beauty—especially the cycles, the repeated refrains—it touches me deeply, and I feel loved. And in this love, I am recharged. In this love, I find reserves of strength I didn’t know I had. In turn, I’m able to love more deeply.

How does nature make you feel?

Plans & Projects

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Laurie Buchanan

Len and I are fortunate in that we live a stone’s throw from the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center. It’s open year-round, and the admission is free. I can, and do, spend hours at a time in there wandering, looking, sitting on the beautiful benches, and thinking.

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” ―Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

I feel it. Do you?
That itch to empty the house and scrub it from top to bottom. Only putting half of everything back in and donating the rest.

“It’s the time for plans and projects”—what’s at the top of your list?

A View With a Room

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Laurie Buchanan

Perhaps you’ve heard of or seen the movie, “A Room With A View,” but what Willa and I passed on our walk along the Greenbelt was definitely a view with a room.

We were meandering along, enjoying all of nature’s sounds (me) and scents (Willa) when all of a sudden the beautiful circular window surrounded by pink blossoms caught my attention.

“Look at me, just look at me, will you?!” it cries. We slowed down to take a look. Not just a cursory glance, but a real look.

Our view—from the outside, in—is lovely! From the inside, theirs has to be spectacular as they overlook the Boise River. To my way of thinking, it would make an excellent writer’s loft.

What comes to mind as you look at the circular window winking out from behind the fragrant pink blossoms?

One Ringy Dingy, Two Ringy Dingy

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Laurie Buchanan

Recently, a tree in the Municipal Park close to our home was cut down. A view of the cross-section reveals its growth rings.

According to my online research: “Visible rings result from the change in growth speed through the seasons of the year; thus, critical for the title method, one ring generally marks the passage of one year in the life of the tree.”

In pioneer days, a person my age — I’m swiftly approaching 58 rings — would be considered elderly. Today, however, even with silver hair and deeply etched laugh lines, that’s mere change.

By intent, many of us have cultivated a combination of habits that contribute to our number of growth rings. These might include eating certain foods, steering clear of certain things, exercise, taking vitamins and/or minerals, etc.

Even though you’ve cultivated a bevy of healthy habits, what single one stands head-and-shoulders above the rest toward your quality longevity?

A Bird in the Hand

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Laurie Buchanan

Last week as I was heading out our driveway I enjoyed watching a deer across the street. Not in the least bit afraid of foot or vehicle traffic, it continued meandering on its merry way.

During our son’s recent visit, he had the opportunity for an even closer encounter with wildlife:

Bogus Basin is a mountainous area near Boise, Idaho particularly enjoyed for its recreational snow offerings, so in June it’s almost deserted. The heat that week — even at 5,000 feet — was triple-digit intense. During our hike we found a small bird exhausted from trying to flap its way out of a skylight in a shuttle stop. He didn’t realize it was plexiglass, and was too disoriented to simply come down out of the rafters and fly away. That’s when our son got involved…

Climbing up inside the shuttle stop, he gently got the bird in his hand and climbed back down. Staying in the shade, our son used Willa’s water bowl to bathe the little fellow with cool water and give him a drink.

We didn’t think it was ever going to leave him. Once it started singing — and we knew he was going to be okay — our son placed the little fellow on a low-hanging branch and from there we watched him take off. A very cool experience for all of us.

What was your last up-close-and-personal experience with nature?

A Twist on Impressionism

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Laurie Buchanan

Avid walkers, Len, Willa, and I tend to rack up multiple miles per day and we never fail to see tracks of other various creatures who’ve been out-and-about enjoying nature too:

During our walks I oftentimes think of the famous adage — Take nothing but memories; leave nothing but footprints. It reminds me to respect Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants.

Both tracks and memories leave impressions:
-Tracks in the earth
-Memories in the mind

What kind of impression have you made?

The Makings of Home Sweet Home

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Laurie Buchanan

A robin feathering her nest
has very little time to rest
while gathering her bits of twine and twig…

A few weeks ago when the branches were still bare, we saw the makings of an impressive nest in our back yard. Having recently trimmed Willa’s coat, it’s clear that birds find her wiry hair to be prime building material!

It might be a person, a feeling, a specific structure, or a tangible item—what makes a house a home has as many different answers as there are people. Whether you’re:

Gil in South Africa
Kevin in Scotland
Sandi in the southern US
Terrill or Leanne in Canada
Sam near the Big Apple
Ted in New Zealand
Kathy in a her little house in the big woods

What is it to you that makes a house a home?

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

The Book—Discovering the Seven Selves
The Experience—Life Harmony

Find me on Twitter @HolEssence

Of Mice, Men, Packrats and Squirrels

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Laurie Buchanan

Our home is located in what had been a grove of oak trees in days gone by. Most of the homes in our neighborhood have at least one huge tree in the front or back yard. Every fall we can count on being entertained by the antics of squirrels as they lay in stores for the winter. What they squirrel away is absolutely necessary for their survival.

Human beings are different. The National Association of Professional Organizers says that as a society we’ve acquired so much “stuff” over the last three decades that the self-storage industry is the fastest growing new industry in the United States.

According to the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Program at the University of California, San Diego, the overwhelming desire to acquire, save, and compulsively collect—hoard—can be attributed to a “unique pattern of brain function abnormalities.”

Research shows the inability to discard doesn’t play favorites; it can equally affect both men and women.

Are you more of a minimalist or a maximalist?

Bend but Don’t Break

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Laurie Buchanan

Trees are high on the list of my favorite living creatures. Each day as I traverse back and forth to HolEssence—on bike, on foot, in car—I pass ginormous trees that have lived in this area for hundreds of years. Many of them are in the front yards of what had been the homes of railroad barons in days gone by.

In August we experienced several storms that blew through, stripping off roofs and leveling most everything in its path. Pictured below is a tree I photographed after the storm. It wasn’t yanked up by its roots, rather, it snapped—like a twig—in the gale force winds.

From the outside, the tree had appeared to be healthy. But I suspect it had been ill, as most trees—like people—have an inherent resilience that allows us to recover from things that push the envelope past the cutting edge, to the bleeding edge.

When was the last time you were stretched beyond your limit?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

Discovering the Seven Selves Life Harmony Facebook

The Aftermath

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Laurie Buchanan

Vastly different than afterglow…we’re currently in the aftermath—wake—of yesterday’s storm that hit the greater Chicagoland area with over 200,000 people still without power this morning, ourselves included.

We live in an older neighborhood in Crystal Lake, Illinois laden with full grown oak, hickory, and maple trees. On our street alone, many of these stately giants were snapped like match sticks, or yanked up by 75 mile an hour winds and slammed across people’s homes, garages, or cars. Except for debris in our driveway and yard, we were left unscathed.

Debris from storm 07-11-2011

In making our way to our business—HolEssence—to assess any potential damage, we saw that the destruction was widespread, with emergency vehicles and Commonwealth Edison trucks everywhere due to trees and power lines laying across main and side roads.

After the storm roared through, we spent the rest of the afternoon clearing dangling limbs from trees and debris from our yard and driveway. The 91 degree heat and humidity made it somewhat of an unpleasant chore with no fans or air conditioning to take a break in.

Reading by Coleman Lantern 07-11-2011

Making lemonade out of lemons, we enjoyed an evening of reading by Colman camp lantern. Without power, I’m a day behind in catching up with emails and blogs. I intend to start today at HolEssence between clients because we have power here.

What was the last big mess you had to clean up?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

Tuesdays with Laurie

"Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing." —Laurie Buchanan

Tag Archives: Nature

Love in Nature

Plans & Projects

A View With a Room

One Ringy Dingy, Two Ringy Dingy

A Bird in the Hand

A Twist on Impressionism

The Makings of Home Sweet Home

Of Mice, Men, Packrats and Squirrels

Bend but Don’t Break

The Aftermath